A leaked patent has revealed that Samsung could be considering the implementation of touch/swipe-sensitive buttons to control the camera on future smartphones. The patent, discovered by xleaks7 on Twitter/X and first publicized by Seasonality Chart, shows a pair of side buttons annotated with various functions that can be performed by swiping, multi-tapping or long-pressing. The patent doesn't detail exactly what functions could be performed by the various touch/swipe combinations, but it's plausible that they may include things like exposure, zoom, or switching between photo and video recording. It's also possible that the sensor gestures could also be used in Samsung's Gallery app when reviewing photos, and there's the potential for haptic feedback to be used to emulate the responsiveness of physical buttons.
This kind of technology may be new to Samsung, but we've seen it before in other phones, most notably the Camera Control button on the iPhone 16. This is also touch sensitive with multiple functions that can be performed using various gestures: press it quickly to launch the camera app, then a full press will snap a photo. Hold the button down to start recording video, while the camera's focal length can be adjusted by slowly sliding your finger across the button. I've also encountered this technology on the Oppo Find X8 Pro, where I found it to be a usefully direct alternative to navigating through on-screen menus and controls to perform the same functions, though it does take some time before the various button gestures become natural.
As for when we might see a new Samsung phone that incorporates a dedicated camera control sensor button? This is already proven technology, so there seems no reason why Samsung couldn't implement it soon, potentially starting with its next flagship phone line-up; the S26 series.
Story credit: Seasonality Chart, xleaks7
